


Family ties

by Cumminghome



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caring Dean Winchester, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Good Parent John Winchester, No Sex, Romantic Fluff, Stanford Student Sam Winchester, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:01:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25037398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cumminghome/pseuds/Cumminghome
Summary: Alternate beginning. Sam is in stanford, in love with Jessica. Dean and John come together to take Sammy back with them.Angst and piningKill me, kill me now.I need to sleep.
Relationships: Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Family ties

Dean stood by the hood of the Impala, clutching the amulet, with sweat trickling down his neck. It was the beginning of June and the heat was killing him. He was waiting around the corner of the main street watching the sun slowly set along the horizon, painting the whole scene a sinful shade of red, much like his life right now. It had been a bloody week, hunting a vampire nest which turned out to be much bigger than they had thought. But thankfully, he had his father to guide him, help him through the ordeal. John was an efficient hunter, but Dean had more potential, afterall he was raised as one. Currently, John was at the gas station, buying stock for the road head. They had a long journey ahead, the distance not as unnerving as the destination. They had just left their motel an hour ago, and there was probably not going to be another stop until they reached, so he came out to stretch his legs. And well, over think about their decision. He had tried to talk John out of this but to no avail. He missed his younger son, the world needed him, and , so, it was time. 

Sam had left for Stanford right after highschool, not wanting to stick around for whatever hunt his father and brother were planning. He just wanted to have a chance at a normal life, just to see if this could work out. And, the teachers at his school kept saying how talented he was, how smart he was, and how he deserved to have a better life than just stumbling from town to town. He wanted to have a home for once, not like the one in Dean's dreams and John's memories, the burnt carcass of a home that still had their heart. Both his brother and father were tied together by their loss, and their love. But Sam didn't have the luxury of a lullaby lost in his mind, or the comfort of a warm touch still imprinted on his limbs. He didn't have the same reasons to stay and fight. He just wanted to get it over with so he could move on and settle somewhere, have a home and a family. He waited for that 'last hunt' for a long time, but it never came, and by the time he reached 16 years of age, he had already decided he would leave as soon as got selected to some college, and he did, to Stanford. He was going to be pre-law, and Dean understood. Dean knew and it hurt so much that his brother didn't respect their purpose, their life at all. But he understood and let him go, not once asking him to stick around. Dean had raised his kid brother, and he always felt safe in the knowledge that whatever happens, Sam would always be with him. And that dream had shattered when he first told him of the college application. John had been furious, unlike his usual calm demeanor. He had been angry enough to wreck the Impala, and scream at his children. Sam had left by the end of the week without telling  
them one night, when Dean had gone with their father to enquire about some murders near their motel. They had come back to a note saying "I am sorry Dean, I had to go." There were no words for John. Sam always blamed John for the life they led, and Dean hated that. Dean felt proud of his father. They did what nobody else could, they saved lives, and they hunted monsters. In his books, they were superheroes. 

John came back to the car in a few minutes holding a few bags of chips, and a pack of beers. He looked at his eldest son, lost in worry. He always felt Dean was too pure, too selfless for this world, or even for him. The way he had taken over the responsibilities at such a young age, raising Sam, taking care of him. To be honest, he believed Dean was the sole reason their family stood together for as long as it did. And, then when he could no longer do that, their family had split in two. Sam was far away, living the soft life, the normal life. He had no idea what was going to happen tomorrow when they would supposedly reach Sam's place, but he did know that they have to try. Something was coming, something bad. And they needed every possible hunter on the ground, ready for the prowl. All the lore was pointing towards something horrible happening, the monsters had doubled on land, and they were acting less scared, so emboldened by God knew what. But even if Sam couldn't help, he could not leave his son out there alone among the shadows. He needed to ensure his Son was safe, and what safer place than the backseat of this black 67 Chevy Impala.  
He walked over to his son, placing a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder, who jerked out of his dreamland. Both shared a knowing, worrying look, consoling each other, braving each other for the upcoming backlash from Sam. It was going to hurt, but they had to try.  
Both of them got in the car and drove away, towards the prickly life that mattered the most to them. 

Sam was lying in his bed, the sun hadn't risen yet. He had an interview in three days, and if he got through, he would probably be on his way to become one of the top shots of the legal world. But all he could currently think of was the eerie silence that had recently gripped the people around him. There was something different in the air. He kept getting up and checking the salt lines along the windows, the demon trap under the carpet, the silver knives hidden in different corners of his home. His home. He had met this beautiful girl, with golden hairs and blue-grey eyes. She was so warm, and smart, and funny. Jessica Moore had grown up in a close knit family, with three elder brothers and plenty of cousins around the house. Sometimes she would ask him about his family, and he would just mechanically repeat, "my mother died when I was six months old. My dad left us afterwards, and I stayed in foster care." He had practiced this lie over the years, trying different things out in different places until he found the one that fit his condition perfectly. Nobody needed to know who he was or where he came from, just who he is and where he is going. Plus, he would never risk losing Jessica. She was his future, his present, his abode. He would lie in her lap, and know he was home. After his first year of college, juggling between three jobs and his classes, he had finally moved in with Jessica who stayed in at his relative's spare flat. 'Spare flat', Sam had laughed the first time she told him about it. But, now, this 'spare flat' was the only place he wanted to come home to. 

Jessica was still snoring lightly, her chest rising and falling with each breath, and her golden strands falling on her cheeks. Her sight always warmed Sam's heart in a very foreign way, he felt safe here. But, for the past few weeks, things had been going a little haywire. No matter where he turned, somebody was dying in a strange way, or weather patterns were in a frenzy. And even if he could ignore these signs, he, for the love of God, couldn't ignore the feeling of dread in his gut. His nightmares had increased, and he kept seeing Jessica dying, burning on the ceiling, the same way his mother had years ago. The sleeping pills weren't helping much. And tonight, he couldn't sleep at all. He looked at the clock, it was 3 am. He imagined Dean waking up to clean the car, and get ready for the road. The memory of his grumbling, and cursing these ghosts in a whisper before waking up, played in front of his eyes. And he couldn't help but smile at the days gone by. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he could still smell the gunpowder from Dean's fingers, and the stench of whiskey in his own coffee stained cups. He would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, terrified by a nightmare, searching for Dean and his strong arms, only to be surprised by a scared Jessica who would then slowly take him in his lap and cradle him to sleep.  
He took his phone out, opening the contacts, he saw Dean's number as the emergency contact. He played with the idea for a bit before tossing his phone aside and moving to the kitchen. if he can't sleep, he could atleast study. He made himself a cup of coffee and went to his laptop, burying his head deep inside the case histories of infamous notorious killers with years of fraud and theft. 

Dean kept checking his watch. The sun had almost risen, and in about half an hour they would be at Sammy's place, well at least the address he put up in his school records. He wanted to drive away the jitters, but his legs were tired, and John needed some distraction too. He kept thinking about how big his baby brother would have grown, and what all he would be doing in his life. He had tried to keep track of the kid, but this life had no place for memories, and quitters. He kept imagining how happy Sammy would be to see him, or maybe he would feel disappointed. The worry never leaving him alone. He kept fidgeting with his phone, half wishing at this point for a call for help. Anything, that would save him from this confrontation. He looked over at his father, who was frowning and had the steering wheel gripped a little too tight. From what he could see, john wouldn't mind an escape either. 

Sammy was deeply engrossed in the history of crime by this unknown subject, who apparently had no paper record at all, and had somehow even managed to delete his mugshots and rap sheet later from the police servers. The only footprint of this unsub existed in the memories and the hand written documents of the precinct in which he was first caught. Being a small town precinct, they didn't have much access to upscale technology, and preferred doing everything oldschool. Well, thanks to their stubbornness, some record still existed, though not enough for their hunt. Sam was rummaging through all the probably crime they committed, when suddenly he heard a faint hum of a car, a familiar sound which suddenly came to a halt. 'No, that can't be...' He tried to go back to his studies and decided he needed more caffeine. As he was re-filling his cup, there was a shift in the air, a stir, which made him turn swiftly around, splashing thin ropes of coffee everywhere. He carefully placed the cup on the kitchen slab, and picked up a silver knife. He could feel a presence here, a slight movement of a shadow in the corner of his eyes, enough to be caught by a trained hunter. He retraced his steps, and went inside his bedroom to ensure Jessica was safe. Then, he turned around and decided to look for the sucker. He strode from wall to wall, stealthily, holding his breath. He heard some rustle near the living area, and he rushed there. He saw a grey figure bent in front of the fridge. Confused, but determined, he placed the knife on the nape of the intruder. The cold metal tip alerted the figure, and he seemed to strain his body. 

"I think you have had your show Dad. Don't you?" a familiar deep voice echoed flaming Sam's insides. His hold on the weapon faltered, and the man turned around swiftly dislodging the knife from his younger brother's hands and sliding inside his jacket.  
Somebody flipped the light switch on and all Sam could see was two glossy emeralds staring back at him. He was so overwhelmed by this that he didn't even feel the warm embrace of his brother. He felt himself melt under his gaze. Before he could make sense of it all, he felt a cold hard hand on his shoulder. His demeanor hardened, and he could already sense the displeasure he was about to experience. He turned around and yep, there he was, the man himself. The man who was supposed to take care of him, nurture him, and 'protect him'. His father was disarmed at his attitude. He felt the steely resolve of his youngest stare back at him. He had assumed that Sam would atleast have forgiven him by now, understood why he did what he did. But he was wrong. He looked at his other son who was staring right back at him, with such admiration and concern and HOPE, and in that split second, his love and respect for Dean increased tenfold.  
He let go of his son, and took a step back.

"Um....Is everything alright Sam?" A sweet feminine voice came from the bedroom door. Jessica stood there, one hand clutching the door handle, another stopped midway to her hair. She looked a sweet sight in a large grey plaid shirt, with her golden soft curls and cherry lips. Her eyebrows were knitted together in concern, she stared at the three men.  
Sammy knew there was no point in introducing them. But either way it wasn't upto him, he never could speak first in the company of his family. So he stayed there, eyes fuming, hands fisted and shoulders hunched. He felt so incapable around them. Dean and John took up space unabashedly, unapologetically, especially around strangers. 

"Hey sweetheart, did we wake you?" Dean asked with concern, however he couldn't help the usual note of flirtatiousness in his voice. Jessica didn't respond and turned her gaze towards Sam, her face contorted in the form of a question. Sam still didn't respond, and just looked down. 

"You shouldn't keep a lady waiting son. This isn't what I 'taught' you". At this, Jessica's eyes shot up as she tried to make sense of what was happening here. Sammy stepped towards her, and grunted a sound that resembled 'yes'. He took his place by her side. Jess and Sam stood there, in the light of that large living area, facing the father-son duo. A stranger in that moment would not have been able to see any relationship between the men present, infact any decent person would be quick to assume that the men in jackets and boots were probably some criminals breaking and entering their house, or maybe bad apple of the family. Jess and Sam were clean, their hair smooth and shining, their skin clear, their clothes stain-free, and above all, they didn't smell like sweat and car wash.  
Tension in the air choking the breath out of everyone. 

" No, dad. You taught me nothin." Sam spewed, and Dean rolled his eyes, cursing. " Sammy can we do this some place else, you know, not air our family's dirty laundry in front of strangers." The blush crept up in Jess's face, she felt her ears and cheeks burn. She decided to step back inside the room but Sam stretched his arm around her, "She is family Dean.", enunciating every word. 

John and Dean looked at each other, eye brows raised, before both burst out laughing.  
" Sure Son, but we need to talk about something....um.. a little bit more along the lines of family business." Jess felt Sam's grip around her tighten. He wasn't comfortable with this.  
"Or maybe you guys could come in during the day like normal people", she felt herself blurt. 

All three Winchesters turned towards her, and she again felt herself go red. " Sure sweetheart, after all we are the most normal family in the states." Dean tried to roll with it. Jess could feel Sam roll his eyes with annoyance.  
He continued, " Anyway Sam, we really need to talk."

" Dean we can talk in front of her. I said she is family." Jess couldn't figure out what was happening, she did realize however that she was the intruder here and not the other two guys. She loved this man but he sure did have his baggage.  
Sam still had a tight arm around her. 

Dean looked at his father, as if to ask permission, and John shrugged as if to say, 'whatever man, he asked for it'.  
Dean rubbed his fingers on his lips, feeling frustration pour out of him, and he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, " Well, Something is Coming. All the lore in the world is pointing towards it. And things have gone haywire. running lose, no fear of us."

The arm around Jess fell down, and she felt stuck in a room full of strangers. " Excuse me Jess, I need to talk with my family", Sam muttered without breaking his stare with his brother, lips pursed in anger. Jess turned around and walked inside the bed room.  
The men decided to take it outside. The sun had risen and was shining brightly overhead. They all stood by the Impala, waiting for someone else to start, worried about what was to happen.  
Sam took a deep breath, calming himself, and started, " What do you mean by 'things have gone haywire' and 'what' is 'coming'?" He looked at them for answers and he could see them shift in their spot.  
" We don't know yet. But it is something big, alright. It's something big enough that nothin is making any sense any more. No rules, no order. It's plain chaos out there."

"What do you mean Chaos?" Sam asked defiantly.  
This boy, always with the questions, " Jesus Sammy. Can't you just trust us?". All of them knew the answer to that question. Sammy would trust them with his life, but not his happiness.  
"Fine Kid. the monsters are openly roaming the streets now, and going on full blown hunts at night. Even demons are a regular occurrence now, and all these just keep on increasing every day. We are all short-handed. There was a time, when you left, that hunters were easily enough managing things around here. But not anymore. Something has changed in the air, something has taken away their fear." Dean looked at his brother, his eyes dripping with terror to come. 

Sam tried to process this for a minute. He could pretend all of this was a lie, a plan, a trope to get him into re-entering the life, but he knew better. These men have lost their everything to these 'things'. They would never lie about it. He also couldn't ignore the things that had been happening around, and ofcourse, the sinking feeling in his gut. 

But he couldn't let this snatch away the life he had built for himself here. " Dad then you both should go and gather hunters. Try to spread the word, and maybe something will come up."  
John looked at his son in disbelief, " Don't you think we know that? Everybody is tired and hunters,,, well they are dying like flies right now. You'd do yourself some good if you came back with the pack. This way we atleast would have a chance at this."

Sam understood what they were saying. But he needed time to think, to process. " it's alright kid. Take your time. Plus, I wouldn't mind staying at this palace of yours for a few days." Dean said, already taking the bags out of the car. 

John followed him inside the house. Sam stood there, under the burning sun, trying to fathom how his life had turned upside down within a few hours.


End file.
